This was a fun and unexpected read for me. Some of it was a little slow and unrelatable for me, but overall it was enjoyable and different.

I loved how, at the beginning of each chapter, the author gives us an explanation of a tarot card and then relates it to the story being told. It was such a fun element of the story that really separated it from any other I’ve read before. While we follow a group of girls at Yale, the story really was about Annelise and Rosie. When tragedy strikes, Rosie begins to question a lot of what she knows, or knew, about Annelise.

While I am not an avid mystery/thriller reader, this one felt a little predictable to me. I enjoyed the story a lot, the way the author weaves together academia, mystery and then aspects of equestrian and tarot cards was all really seamless. I wanted a little more shock at the end, but was satisfied no less.

The Fortune Seller is a messy story of friendship, manipulation, and fate. We follow a group of horse girls at Yale as they maneuver through their last year at school and into the real world. The conflicting dynamics of power, money, and belonging weave together into an explosive combination of jealousy, resentment, and revenge. There was no real "twist" in the story as a reader, it more about waiting for our slightly sheltered and naïve narrator to catch on but it works well for this book. The addition of a new tarot card at the beginning of each chapter helps frame the story and give a bit of foreshadowing of what's to come.

This book hits a lot of the themes I enjoy in a story. Dark academia vibes, female friend groups with iffy morals, a bit of a thriller, and an underdog. Rating this 3 stars because it was enjoyable but not life changing or incredibly memorable.

When Rosie Macalister returns to Yale and her spot on the equestrian team after a year away, she finds out she is rooming with Annelise Tattinger, who turns out to be a very talented rider who reads tarot cards for the other girls in her spare time. Rosie has fought very hard for her place in the team's inner circle, which is no easy feat since she is from a middle-class background. At first, she is resentful of the idea of having a roommate, but she soon becomes friends with Annelise and realizes there is a lot more going on than meets the eye.

This is a very realistic look at class differences and how the upper elite class treats everyone else. The attitude that the rules don't apply to the rich comes across very strongly. There were some hidden secrets that I didn't see coming, and the characterization of the very rich and entitled Cressida is well done. The old cliche that money doesn't buy happiness rings very true in this book, but would be better defined as "too much money doesn't buy happiness." While some of the characters use their trust funds to sink deeper into despair, others just want enough money to fulfill their dreams.

Each chapter was headed with the description of a tarot card, which was not my cup of tea at all. But the relationships and class differences and the way this affected the characters made this book shine. Honest, sobering, sad, and heartbreaking, this book shines a light on the elite class and on struggling to belong in a world that is only set up for a few to succeed.

The audiobook, read by Stephanie Cannon, is well done and completely captures the personalities of each character.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

This book was a great read. I don't consider this book a thriller by my standards, but that doesn't change my opinion on it whatsoever.

I am not at all familiar with the life of equestrians. I really enjoyed hearing about their world and the hierarchy that comes naturally in that sport, not to mention how competitive it is outside of a competition. Some reviews I read of this book said it was too "horsey", so I was nervous going into it, but I found that I wanted more detail about the world of equestrians!

The timeline of the book was great. I loved meeting this group of friends after their time abroad and apart and then coming back together to finish out their college careers and heading into the real world. I was rooting for some characters and wanted others to fail miserably, so I loved that the author followed them out of college into their post-collegiate work life.

I loved the twist in the book. I wasn't expecting it, which is rare. This is a book I'd love to go back and listen to again to see if I can pick up any hints that I missed the first time that would have led me to figure it out before the reveal.

The narration was wonderful. I enjoyed her tone, the subtle changes in her voice for each character without it sounding strained, and the emotion the emanated throughout the reading.

I plan on reading Rachel Kapelke-Dale's previous novels and will look for future publications from her!

Set against the backdrop of early 2000s elite Yale, it's a compelling exploration of class, ambition, and relationships.

A bit of a thriller, Rosie a middle class girl who has to work finds a mysterious girl named Annalise has joined their friend group. Resentful at first she becomes good friends with the girl. After money goes missing tensions rise.

Annelise’s identity was easy to guess but, I liked learning about tarot. It made me want to get my cards read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this ALC!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this ALC

Dear Publishers and Bookish Friends - Can we please have a clear definition of THRILLER? I think that would absolutely help manage expectations for readers. kthxbie

This book is marketed as a thriller. It is not. At least not in the sense of tense, on the edge of my seat, thrill-ride. I don't even think I'd call it a psychological thriller since all the characters are a bit vapid and naive. There isn't really even a traditional mystery. I get that it makes it hard to market then. But I went in expecting a thriller which makes it difficult for me to give an accurate rating.

For me, this falls under the sub-genre of rich people behaving badly. There is a LOT of classism, a LOT of horses, and a hell of a lot of tarot. In fact, every chapter begins with the explanation of a tarot card, which I did find interesting but a bit redundant.

Speaking of redundant, the first 40% of the book was very repetitive. Four Yale students on the equestrian team are friends and roommates. At the beginning, they welcome a new 5th member into their group. The story is told through the perspective of Rosie McCallister - a "poor" (she's middle class, goes to Yale, and rides horses - she just doesn't have a billion dollar trust fund like her friends - but don't tell her that because she spends the majority of the book whining about money) scholarship kid who benefited from her best friends' fathers' foundation to get into horseback riding in the first place.

The first 40ish% of the book is the girls going to practice, Annaleise (the new girl) reading tarot for them and explaining what tarot is (over and over) and Rosie whining about being poor. This is all setting up the relationship between the girls, their personalities (although 2 of them seem pretty interchangeable), and their motivations. It is a deep dive into the horse world and the ivy league collegiate competition scene. It was well-written and very character driven. Which probably wouldn't have bothered me if I wasn't expecting a thriller. Like literally nothing HAPPENS. It is a sloooow-burn set up.

When the "big bad thing" happens, there is a little bit more tension and "mystery" but the big reveal, at least to this reader, wasn't really a big reveal. The author does a good job leaving clues throughout so it wasn't a big guess. But I'm not sure the author really meant for it to be a huge big reveal. The only reason I think that is because it was marketed as a thriller, which, as I've said, it is not.

The book then jumps a few years into the future where Rosie is still dealing with the aftermath of the "big, bad thing" and trying to find her place in the world. She still comes across as very naive. I don't think she has much of a character arc throughout the book. When more bad things happen she reacts much the same way as she did in college. Then there is a ridiculously long and, in my opinion, a bit unnecessary epilogue.

Man, this all sounds like I didn't like the book. But overall, I think I did? It was well-written with some lovely turns of phrase and descriptions. The narrator was fine. Her voice was a bit immature/young-sounding which may have contributed to my assessment of Rosie as naive, but it didn't bother me.

If you enjoy a quiet, character-driven story about friendship, betrayal, and rich people behaving badly with a pinch of mystery/secret keeping, then this book may be for you. Just don't go into it thinking it is a thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to review an advanced copy of this book.

The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale tells the story of Rosie Mccalister at Yale and the vibrant contrast between her middle class, flyover state upbringing vs her billionaire hedge fund manager nepo baby equestrian teammates/roomies.

I feel fthis book falls in the slow paced thriller category and tells the story of Rosie's senior year after studying in Argentina for a year. She returns to a gorgeous house secured by her roommates only to find that she has to share a room with the enigmatic Annelise Tattinger. Annelise transferred last year and is a superior rider to all of her Yale teammates. She is also very adept at reading tarot cards. But, there is mystery and unusual circumstance around her transfer and identity. Things senior year turn dark. Very dark.

This was a compelling story and a very good audio book. But, I gave it 3 stars for a couple of reasons even though I overall found it enjoyable.

-It was really , really dark. Many rich people did a lot of deplorable things--millions stolen from charity funds, hidden illegitimate children, murder? It is really hard to imagine a Rosie that worked her tail off to have access to Yale and these teammates really never had a way forward in their world. (Also, Rosie is daughter to two vets in the midwest--not uneducated. Rosie herself has a lot of privilege. This is so sad!)

-Rosie's parents were firm that she didn't follow their footsteps, but they were critical of her work in finance and elite circles. It doesn't run both ways.

-Pacing was a bit off. Second half felt like it drug a bit.

All in all this was entertaining, but it won't be among my favorites of the year. Very thankful to review this book and five honest feedback.

This book is like vanilla ice cream - totally okay, but just kind of basic. The story kept me engaged for the most part, but every now and then, my mind wandered off.

The narrator of this audiobook did a great job - super clear and easy to understand, even when sped up to 2x speed..

This book is not flashy, but it gets the job done. I would possibly recommend it to someone. I don't think I would read it a second time, though.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy for review.

This book was a quick read. I liked the mystery around the new character that was introduced into an established friend group. Each chapter introduces a new tarot card which I really enjoyed. The narrator was enjoyable. Overall I'd give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

This was such a fun read! First of all I loved the 2000s nostalgia as that's when I grew up at the same age as the characters. The fashion, and trends, we're so fun to revisit.
This book reminded me of if Pretty Little Liars were horse girls and in uni. I thought that the characters were interesting and some were lovable, and some were so easy to dislike. That is my favorite mix. The mystery, blackmailing, and dark secrets that are revealed will keep you interested in guessing. I really enjoyed this book.

4.25 stars rounded down.
I love a book in which the main characters all seem real enough that there are things about all of them I seriously dislike…and at the same time have empathy or sympathy for them.
Tarot and the equestrian world are both relative unknowns to me - what a delight to have both in this novel.
The pace of the second half seemed rushed to me. It needed a more satisfying conclusion before the time jump in the epilogue.
I enjoyed the narrator’s female voices but did not love her male voices. Solid inflection and easy to listen to, overall.

On the surface this appears to be leading to an upper class college scandal and murder type of twisty thriller, but it is so much more than that. The second half of this book really makes you think and look for the subtext.

I really enjoyed the twisty, mystery part of the story line but I also really enjoyed the second half which dives deeper into the development of the main character and how she will deal with the actions that happened in the first half and how she comes to terms with her circumstances.

I'm looking forward to suggesting this for my book club when it's released.

Copied from Goodreads:
2.5⭐️ rounded up for premise

"The Fortune Seller" is an interesting and accurate portrait of elite college students in the late 90s and early 2000s. I frequently--and sometimes ashamedly--recalled similar experiences to the protagonist, Rosie. The tarot card theme is followed throughout, with apt, though often heavy-handed, references to the coming plot points. Horses and equestrian topics play a significant role in the book.
The novel originally appeared to be similar to "Gossip Girl"/"Pretty Little Liars," but ultimately it lacked the secret protagonist and possible suspense of those two television shows. The current/recent history references abounded, including the stock market crash, death of journalism, and briefly, Covid-19. The writing and most character development shows promise, but characters other than the narrator quickly fell into black and white, good or bad, categories. The plot had an interesting premise but was uneven. The climax of the story essentially took place in the first third of the book. The remainder lacked tension and depth. I was disappointed in the overall message and title tie-in. The idea of the fortune seller could have been much more significantly explored.

"The Fortune Seller" is available in the US on February 13, 2024. Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this audio ARC given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Each chapter of this book is about the meaning of a Tarot card. A group of girls going to Yale are going into their senior year. Most come from wealthy families, except Rosie who is middle class. This distinction grows as the book progresses. Senior year and Rosie is told she will be rooming with a new girl by her "best" friends. Soon, the new girl and Rosie become very close, including the new girl teaching Rosie Tarot. Jealousy ensues, as does a lot of drama, including murder. I enjoyed this book, and it was an insightful, coming of age thriller. Money does not necessarily equal winning.

This book was ok. The narrator was very good. I loved the idea of studying the contrast of classes within an Ivy League school. But it felt like the story started in the middle and then dragged on giving backstory. This book is marketed as a thriller, but the tension seems to be lacking. All that said, I enjoyed the book. The story carried along fine, but it would be better served as a contemporary fiction and just leave the “thriller” parts out.

If the word 'tarot' appears anywhere in the synopsis, I'm probably going to read it. I really liked how reading tarot was woven into the storyline and how a different card was featured at the beginning of each new chapter as a sort of foreshadowing of what's to come. While there is a lot of equestrian talk, I was able to follow along just fine (and I know almost nothing of horses). This is a great character driven novel that really picks up speed at the halfway mark.

This was a very good, short read! I will say that I did not enjoy so much of the horse talk but the book was beautifully written! The pace of the plot was a bit slow so I was not to happy about that.

After a year abroad, Rosie is excited for her senior year at Yale, living with her friends, riding on the equestrian team and figuring out her future; but when she arrives on campus at the house she’s sharing with her friends, there is another girl’s belongings in her room. Rosie has always been a bit of an outsider with her friends, she is not uber wealthy like they are, so when she finds out they have given her a roommate (in her already extra small room) she is upset at first but happy for the savings. Rosie and Annelise hit it off immediately, Annelise teaches her tarot card reading and Rosie is attracted to her style and her amazing equestrian skills – she does have an incredibly secretive side however. No one really understands how she transferred from Standford with no equestrian experience and yet she can ride like a pro, she disappears for whole days at a time to NYC, and she has no identifying papers (so is Annalise her real name?). The alpha in the group, Cress becomes incredibly jealous of Annalise, her skills, and her relationship with Rosie and from there it all takes a very dark turn.

The second part of the book takes place after graduation in NYC, Rosie is working for Cress’s dad but as his second string assistant (not what she was hoping her econ major at Yale would have gotten her, nor from her close friendship with Cress), and as such is treated like the help and at the same time becomes privy to more dark secrets of the family than Rosie wanted to ever know.

I wanted to like this one more than I did in the end. I kept waiting for the great mystery of Annalise to be revealed and I didn’t feel that it was quite delivered (for me, some may have felt it was worth it). I’m also not sure I understood Rosie as a character, her obsession with going into finance so she would not be middle class like her parents but no follow through on internships or interviews – it didn’t seem consistent. I thought the second half of the book was much more compelling as it showed more of Rosie as a person and maturing and understanding who she was and who she wanted to be rather than reading so much about the pettiness of Cress and the other girls. I think all told, I would have preferred more mystery about Annalise or at least a less predictable one (sorry). I both listened and read this one and found the audio really enjoyable, the narrator was great and made the book move at a good pace, even when the story was a bit slow.

3.75 Stars

Upper class Yale equestrian team meets tarot card, murder mystery. It truly sounded amazing, but I just sadly just couldn’t get myself into this audiobook. I didn’t find the main female character likeable and I think that was my biggest problem trying to engage in this book. If you are a big fan of equestrian society I think you would like this book.